The Birmingham Sessions | Darrin Duke BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Birmingham Sessions | Darrin Duke performs "Crimson Through and Through", a song dedicated to the Crimson Tide about University of Alabama football. (Tamika Moore | tmoore@al.com)

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- We couldn't provide Darrin "Dedo" Duke with an Airstream trailer decorated in crimson and white. But rest assured: This new video for The Birmingham Sessions is "Crimson Through and Through."

That's the name of his country song dedicated to University of Alabama football, and a theme that applies to many fans today, as the Crimson Tide takes on Notre Dame's Fighting Irish for the BCS championship.

Duke, 40, a Springville resident, is a dental technician and the owner of Creative Crown & Bridge. For about three years, he's been writing country tunes in his spare time.

"I've probably got more half-songs written," Duke says, laughing.

The self-taught musician says he's finished about a dozen songs, all on subjects close to his heart. They include "Redneck Survival Plan," a tongue-in-cheek tribute to rugged Southern men and the women who love them, and "January Angels," a ballad about the 2012 tornadoes that devastated Clay and Trussville.

Football is a big part of Duke's life, so it's no surprise that his catalog includes "Crimson Through and Through." The song, originally written in 2011, was inspired by Alabama's legendary Goal Line Stand, during the 1979 Sugar Bowl win over Penn State to secure another national title.

"I was sitting on my porch with one of my buddies after an Alabama game," Duke recalls. "He said, 'What's your first memory of Alabama football?' ... Later that night, I went in and wrote the song. That's where it all began for me, the Goal Line Stand."

Darrin "Dedo" Duke takes inspiration from country artists such as Blake Shelton, Craig Morgan, Justin Moore and Montgomery Gentry. Wondering about his nickname? "My aunt gave me that name when I was a baby, and it stuck with me," Duke says. (Tamika Moore | tmoore@al.com)

Ask Duke to rank his enthusiasm for the Tide on a 1-10 scale, and here's what he says: "I'm a solid 10. Probably ridiculous."

Attention, Tigers fans: Duke's catalog also includes "Auburn Got Run Over by a Freight Train," a parody of Randy Brooks' "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer."

"I wrote it for my friends, put it on YouTube and got over 50,000 hits," Duke says. "We're good-natured guys; it's all in good fun."

Duke comes by his music skills naturally; his father, Phillip Duke, is a gospel singer-songwriter with a long history of performing in church. His mother, Sherry Carroll, was signed to Sun Records in her youth, recording for Sam Phillips as Little Sherry Crane.

"I guess it's in my blood," Duke says. "But it's never been a dream of mine to be a performer. My goal is to be a songwriter."

His devotion to Alabama football led Duke to record his own version of "Crimson Through and Through." It's available on iTunes, as well as CD Baby, Amazon.com and other digital music outlets.

We persuaded Duke to do a live rendition for The Birmingham Sessions, backstage at Bottletree Cafe. The video series, launched in October, is filmed in two Airstream trailers at the Avondale concert venue.

It's easy to predict where Duke will be tonight: at home, intensely focused on the television, with his wife Dana Johnson Duke and some like-minded friends.

"I believe Alabama will win," he says. "I expect it to be a close game."